Guccione back in business

Chris Guccione, the forgotten man of Australian tennis, has roared back to life just in time for the final grand slam of the year.

After a miserable four months on tour, Guccione has hit a purple patch of form, winning in a Challenger event in California and now claiming a wildcard playoff into this week's Los Angeles Open.

Guccione had suffered 12 defeats in 15 matches, including first-round qualifying losses at the French Open and Wimbledon, before climbing 25 places in the rankings to number 112 following his breakthrough at the Aptos Challenger.

If the big-serving left-hander can reach number 105 in the next three weeks, he is likely to make the cut into the main draw for the US Open starting in New York on August 31.

Guccione, notoriously dubbed by John Newcombe as one of the game's great underachievers, embarked on a five-match winning streak at the hardcourt Challenger.

His scalps included rising American Wayne Odesnik, who Lleyton Hewitt beat earlier this year in Houston to clinch his first clay court title in a decade, and former Australian Open junior finalist Nick Lindahl in the final.

Guccione then downed highly rated US youngster Donald Young 11-9 in the final of the wildcard shootout to earn his place in the LA main draw for the second time.

He will face unseeded American Kevin Kim in the first round.

"It's a lot better than playing three qualifying matches," Guccione said.

"I just found out about this a couple days ago. I feel like I'm playing well.

"I just won the Aptos Challenger, so obviously I'm hitting the ball pretty well. This is great."

Guccione, who turns 24 this week, edged out seven other players for the wildcard in the double-elimination tiebreak tournament.

He will take on American second seed Mardy Fish in the second round, should he get past Kim.

Resurgent German Tommy Haas is the top seed and chasing his third title in LA, where he won in 2004 and 2006.

Former world number one Marat Safin, the eighth seed, will make his sixth and final appearance in Los Angeles.

The Russian, who has announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, beat Guccione in a tight three-setter in the Australian's only other appearance in LA in 2007.

Lleyton Hewitt will commence his US Open build-up next week in Washington.

Australia's two top-ranked women are set to return this week for their first tournaments since Wimbledon.

Stosur, the world number 21, has narrowly missed a seeding at the star-studded Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California.

The French Open semi-finalist has drawn Slovakian sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova in the first round.

And Jelena Dokic, who has been resting up after being diagnosed with mononucleosis - the illness which afflicted Roger Federer last year - is listed among the entries for the Istanbul Cup.